Singing in the major key [this post could use an editor]
I spent tonight with a bunch of 15 year-olds. Well, mostly. I'm sure there were people out of secondary school somewhere. But, honestly, Patrick Wolf attracts the teenage set, and that's just how it goes if you want to see him perform. And 'perform' is just what he does -- he's one of most un-selfconsciously weird* performers I've seen, changing costumes and make-up multiple times within the set and changing his vocal style multiple times within a song. Weird, yes, but sweet, too. In the middle of 'Bloodbeat', he mentioned he'd written the song (like others tonight) when he was the same age as his audience (i.e., 15). Rather than tout that fact as if he were some sort of prodigy, though, he asked, 'Can you tell?' Of course, you could, but his sense of humour carried the day -- and underscored that he is, in fact, some sort of prodigy.
Wolf's talent is as obvious as his youth and earnestness. He played with a backing band of 8 (three of the players were on violin; one woman -- his sister, Jo -- sang backup), and he makes a hugely compelling presence on stage. Radio 1, he said, had determined his sound was 'too ugly' for mainstream airplay, but if Mika can become famous, surely Wolf deserves to. And then some. If only because he incorporated the chorus of 'Sexyback' into a new song and delivered it as if he were Peter Murphy. He, like any good teenager, announced he is 'going through a goth phase'.
Anyway, after checking out Kathryn's photos from his recent NYC gig, you can watch him play an acoustic rendition of 'The Magic Position' here. I've decided that, for as long as it interests me (or I remember to), I'm gonna post a music video a day to my Myspace blog. Just whatever happens to suit my fancy, ya know? I reckon that's what the internet's good for.
* Just to be clear, I would classify the woman who appeared under the apt billing of No Bra (indeed, she wasn't wearing anything on top except hair that covered her breasts and hung down past her metallic, royal blue hotpants) as selfconsciously weird (and actually kind of hypnotic -- you may have heard 'Munchausen' -- realllly?). The second support act, Wolf's friend Bishi, wasn't weird; with the exception of her amusing ode to the Night Bus, she was just sort of annoying.
Wolf's talent is as obvious as his youth and earnestness. He played with a backing band of 8 (three of the players were on violin; one woman -- his sister, Jo -- sang backup), and he makes a hugely compelling presence on stage. Radio 1, he said, had determined his sound was 'too ugly' for mainstream airplay, but if Mika can become famous, surely Wolf deserves to. And then some. If only because he incorporated the chorus of 'Sexyback' into a new song and delivered it as if he were Peter Murphy. He, like any good teenager, announced he is 'going through a goth phase'.
Anyway, after checking out Kathryn's photos from his recent NYC gig, you can watch him play an acoustic rendition of 'The Magic Position' here. I've decided that, for as long as it interests me (or I remember to), I'm gonna post a music video a day to my Myspace blog. Just whatever happens to suit my fancy, ya know? I reckon that's what the internet's good for.
* Just to be clear, I would classify the woman who appeared under the apt billing of No Bra (indeed, she wasn't wearing anything on top except hair that covered her breasts and hung down past her metallic, royal blue hotpants) as selfconsciously weird (and actually kind of hypnotic -- you may have heard 'Munchausen' -- realllly?). The second support act, Wolf's friend Bishi, wasn't weird; with the exception of her amusing ode to the Night Bus, she was just sort of annoying.